voss adventures: MMAP Nisland, S.D. End of Week 2

We are at the end of our second week, with one more week to go and we will have completed our commitment to MMAP for the year. Our six month trip has gone fast on one hand, but yet slow on the other hand, since it seems like forever ago that we left. We are both ready to go home for a while.

The siding on the church continues to go up, the painting inside continues,

and after next week, another group from MMAP will come to Nisland Independent Community Church. They will continue to work on the siding and get to see the project completed!

This weekend started out Thursday night at the Butte-Lawrence County Fair, held here at the Nisland Fair Grounds. A great historic octagon pavilion is the centerpiece of the grounds. All of us went down to enjoy the country fair at its finest! The electric company and the telephone company paired up and supplied the fair goers with a great pulled barbecue meat sandwich with beans and chips.

While in line, we got Democrat popsicles, and at the end of the line after getting our meal, we got Republican vanilla ice cream!! After we ate, we enjoyed what none of us had ever experienced before: Watching the sheep catch

and the tractor pull.

The fair definitely had a country feel!

Friday was vampire day for Paul, then on to Walmart and out to lunch with our coordinators, the Enfingers. We have really appreciated their willingness to take us to the clinic each week Paul is required to have his blood checked.

Saturday, we went with our next door neighbors and fellow workers, Wayne and Brenda Price. They took us with them to Spearfish,

taking the scenic drive (Hwy 14A) we had gone on last week. We stopped in Belle Fourche on the way so the guys could see the Center of the Nation. That's right...no longer in Kansas...when the coordinates include Alaska and Hawii, the center of the USA is just north of this town.

We ladies stopped there earlier in the week when we did our laundry, but knew the guys would enjoy seeing it as well.

After going through Spearfish Canyon, we continued on a dirt road past Roughlock Falls and we were able to see where the winter camp was filmed in Dances with Wolves.... can you believe that movie came out 20 years ago!?! We need to watch it again to see if we recognize it!

Instead of returning the same way, we continued on to Lead, Deadwood and then through Sturgis.

In Deadwood, we walked through #10 Saloon (which is For Sale, by the way, if anyone is interested!) where Wild Bill Hickock was shot and killed.

Then up to Mt. Moriah Cemetery where he is buried,

and where we had a great overview of the town.

During World War I, Congress granted Deadwood permission to fly the flag 24 hours a day to honor all veterans

Then we drove through Sturgis, where all of the bikers were headquartered last week. Some are still around......we even saw a bride on a motorcycle!! Too fast for me and my camera to catch!